The two-time F1 world champion is aiming to emulate legendary British driver Graham Hill in winning motorsport's ‘triple crown’ – a Monaco GP win (of which he already has two), the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Indy 500.

The Spaniard very nearly contested the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours, only for Honda to block his entry at the last minute, and has been very vocal about his long-term ambition.

However, this time around he was able to come to an agreement with his team and will compete in a McLaren entry powered by Honda under the Andretti Autosport stable.

The main obstacle for the undoubtedly talented 35-year-old driver will be his lack of racing experience on the high-speed oval, where cars regularly hit speeds of 230mph in qualifying.

But competing on a 2.5-mile 'superspeedway' track with four left-hand turns banked at an angle of nine degrees for 200 laps on race day is another matter.

Although Indy cars are, in general, more basic machines than their F1 counterparts, there are still subtle differences in set-up for the oval circuit that the former Ferrari driver must become accustomed to.

In addition, Alonso will not be afforded the luxury of the run-off areas he is familiar with at F1 circuits, with the track edge bordered all the way round by solid concrete walls.

The Indy 500 is rightly regarded as one of motorsport’s most prestigious races, but Alonso’s participation this year, put simply, elevates it to the “unmissable” bracket.

So make you join us live on BT Sport, either on TV or online, to find out who takes the chequered flag.